My 2018

2018 Was an Interesting year for me. Here’s my breakdown.

Overall Score: 7/10

Year Rank: 11th out of 32

2018 Mindstate:

• In 2018 I thought more about my place in the world, and ultimately my mortality, more than any other year. As a result, I spent a lot of time evaluating how I am going to manage my experiences for the rest of my time on Earth. I think 2018 was the first year I thought about all that, or at least the first time I thought about it that much and that intently. Whereas my thoughts in 2017 were more about connecting with my purpose & identifying how I can maximize the meaning in my life, my thoughts in 2018 were more about managing and planning out that purpose & meaning. This helped me get the most out of my 2018 in many ways.

2018 Notable Events:

• I think I committed more time to my friends & family in 2018 than any year since my early childhood. I was very focused on spending meaningful time with those I love the most, and spent extensive time visiting NY, CT, NJ, PA, MD, DC, NM, and FL; and some even visited me in Colorado. I also was in the wedding party for my dear friend Lee.

• I lost a loved one to a Fentanyl drug poisoning. Words can’t describe this loss. But I am now donating my money and energy to drug policy reform and harm prevention efforts in the US. I am determined to make a positive impact in this field, in the name of my lost loved one.

• I went to Africa for the first time, and Europe for the 4th time.

• I sold my car… and we bought a condo.

• I didn’t do as much camping as I would have liked, but I went to 7 National Parks, and at various times in 2018 came within 25 feet of: a grey wolf, a fox, an owl, about 30 bison, bighorn sheep, an 8-point buck, several marmots, and countless other animals. And a bear visited my campsite at Piney Lake. Oh, and I rode a camel into the Sahara Desert.

• I joined the Board of Directors at the IACD, and was elected as Board Chair.

• I continued to be active in state & local politics in Colorado.

• I got my podcast on the Apple Podcast App.

• I saw my 2 favorite bands live in Concert- at Red Rocks & the venue next door from where I live, and saw my best friend from high school play drums with his band Savoy in front of 10,000 people.

• I spent my third year living in Colorado, and my second year living with my partner.

2019 New Year’s Resolutions

1. Eat even less meat than in 2018, and less non eco-friendly nuts

2. Record at least 2 podcasts per month

3. Finish building GrowYourPurpose.com

4. Commit to regular intermittent fasting and cryotherapy

We need to talk about abortion

The fear against expanding abortion resources is prevalent in this country. Today, millions of Americans are very worried about morally reprehensible behavior, including rampant late-term abortions, abortions-on-demand, and a general 'taking advantage' of the system. Many morally and spiritually-minded people find abortions to be a crisis in our country for these reasons, as they see abortions as the opposite of life-affirming. But expanding abortion rights and access is not about expanding immoral behavior, it's about providing equal healthcare and equal opportunities to people who haven't done anything to deserve worse. It's about eliminating injustices that currently exist, where innocent women become victims of our country's lack of action. Our laws should protect the innocent, not punish them; and I'll give you a clear example of how restricting abortion rights and access punishes the innocent.

Mississippi has 1 abortion clinic in the entire state. Therefore, if you live in Mississippi and you are pregnant, but you are too poor to be a mother, then fuck you: you're having a baby anyway. What if your pregnancy will end in an impending miscarriage? Too bad, because, once again, you're poor and live in Mississippi. What if you will die if you don't have an abortion? Well apparently around half of this country doesn't care, because you're just some poor person in Mississippi-- you don't deserve the same opportunities that others have.

Mississippi's lack of women's health access is for one simple reason: Republican legislation has restricted access to these opportunities, out of choice, not by necessity. We have the power and capabilities to help these women in need, but we restrict their reproductive rights while rich people can get an abortion whenever they medically need one- as is their right. In this light, we seem to have different sets of abortion rights based on one's socioeconomic situation.

Quite simply, restrictive abortion policies restrict healthcare access, which is a grave injustice for certain segments of our population. Restrictive abortion policies disproportionately affect low class and minority populations. Naturally, it also disproportionately affects women.

When policies and legislation choose to force certain groups of people into situations where they have fewer opportunities than other groups, there is a word for that: inequality. When policies and legislation negatively affect women more than men, there is a word for that, too: misogynistic. When they negatively affect minorities more than white Americans, there's also a word for that... racist.

These are facts, not opinions. Restrictive abortion legislation is inherently misogynistic and racist because it (by choice) disproportionately gives opportunities to some people while eliminating those same opportunities for other people. 

A lot of people hate being called racist and misogynistic because they don't have intentions on being racist and misogynistic. While that may be true, just because you don't intend on being a certain way, doesn't mean you aren't a certain way. Example: I don't intend on being an asshole, but I am. If you don't want to be called a misogynist or a racist, don't support legislation that creates an inequality of opportunities. Also -- you may be an accidental racist, but if you recognize your accidental racism and correct it, you will be praised effusively! We'll be so happy with your personal transformation that we'd put all that accidental racist stuff in the past!

This is a fixable issue. This is NOT a complex issue like global poverty or the Middle-East crisis -- where you can maybe say "well, that's very nuanced, there's nothing I can do about that, and that's a product of how the world is." Instead, this is a problem that is voluntarily created by Republican legislation. We have enough resources to give these women access to healthcare, but we don't, and people don't realize that their beliefs on abortion lead to legislation that restricts womens' right to legal, moral abortions. Rant over.

The Insurance Hustle

Insurance was invented to mitigate risk across a population. Insurance successfully prevents devastating losses being incurred by individuals or small groups, and it allows society to progress and advance. In short, insurance is necessary for society to succeed- almost as vital as running water and housing.

So, since insurance is a very simple by-product of running an effective society, there is no real need for 'innovation' or advancement in that field. Its principles and practice have been the same since its inception. In other words- Insurance runs (and should run) the same way, no matter what society or what entity is being insured: individuals invest resources into a community pool, and those in need can pull from that pool of shared resources.

Clearly, insurance is incredibly important to society, and the insurance profession should be undertaken by caring, capable professionals who want to make a good living administering insurance and mitigating societal risk. The management of insurance should be done by professionals with masters or doctorate degrees, and they should be rewarded for their hard work and success with 6-figure salaries, generous benefits, 4-weeks paid vacation per year, and a pension package so they can retire comfortably with a middle-class lifestyle. Upper management in the insurance sector should make even more, possibly making as much as $300,000/year with all those amazing perks listed above, and more. This is a life anyone would be thrilled to have.

Well...I just described government employees working for a theoretical government agency that would handle insurance of all kinds-- from health insurance to car insurance. But as we all know, insurance isn't a government-run operation like Social Security and Medicare (because that would be the dreaded, evil, disgusting socialism!); but rather it is a private venture. So what does that mean for the business model of insurance?

Quite simply, the capitalist business model for the insurance industry is this: calculate how much money you need to properly mitigate societal risk, then charge more to ensure executive bonuses and multi-million dollar salaries, screwing over the insurance-paying population by making them overpay.  Please think about this-- does a health insurance executive need to make $22 million in 1 year??? Especially when keeping in mind that insurance is solely an administrative task that is intrinsic to a functioning society. Trust me-- the health insurance market can still function without paying executives $22 million a year. Why? Because health insurance administration essentially runs itself. Millions pay in, and the money flows to those who need it when they need it. Anyone who skims off the top is essentially a scam artist making millions doing nothing. If you want to make millions of dollars every year, do NOT go into insurance-- it is a thief's game.

It's time we wake up and realize that private insurance is a scam, where executives steal billions from hard-working Americans, and everyone is left wondering why our system is broken. Insurance executives don't deserve billions every year to push paper around and administer other peoples' money-- people will gladly do that work for $150,000 a year with 4 weeks PTO, full health & dental benefits, and a full pension plan... in fact, I'd sign up for that right now, because I'll work my whole life in the private sector and will be incredibly lucky to sniff anywhere close to that compensation and life security.

We should all take a moment to reflect on our insurance industry, and how we can reign it in.

The Gun Debate

Recently, a good friend of mine said that Liberals and Democrats are trying to "take away all of our guns." He detailed how the progressive gun agenda will cripple Colorado's hunting culture and tourism, and it will leave us unable to defend ourselves. In short, he's unequivocally convinced that a majority of Democratic lawmakers and voters want to completely eliminate private gun ownership in the United States and repeal the 2nd Amendment.

The thing is... he's wrong. But I wasn't positive he was wrong, because I usually focus my political efforts on issues other than gun rights. So I said "I'll have to look into that a bit more," to which he ensured me that I'll find exactly what he was preaching.

Well... I didn't. But here's what I did find:

1. Here's a liberal/progressive bill that was passed in Florida after the Parkland HS shooting. The liberals and Democrats I talk to/read/listen to on podcasts/say that this is the kind of legislation we want to repeat around the country (not taking away all guns). Here is a New York Times article excerpt describing the bill:

"The legislation, which passed the State Senate on Monday and now heads to the governor, would raise the minimum age to purchase any firearm to 21 from 18; impose a three-day waiting period on gun purchases; fund school police officers and mental health counselors; and allow local school districts and sheriffs to arm certain school personnel. It would also ban so-called bump stocks, which make guns fire faster, and give law enforcement more power to commit people deemed a threat."

2. Here is a Colorado state bill (introduced by Democrats) that is about increasing the punitive measures taken upon those who buy or sell multi-burst triggers. This will not affect the hunting tourism industry in Colorado.

3. This CO Bill talks about background checks at Gun Shows. No mention of taking away everyone's guns. (these are the only 2 gun-related bills introduced to the CO legislator this session).

4. Here is a federal bill to ban bumpstocks. It specifically says it will not ban hunting rifles (also has 2 Republican sponsors).

here's an interesting article about Colorado Democratic Gubernatorial candidates- and none of them want to eliminate guns for hunting.

here's an article about the invention of bump stocks. It doesn't seem like you need one of these to protect your family or go hunting...especially since hunting and personal protection existed before the invention of bump stocks.

here's an article about gun laws in Australia, which is something US liberals look to with admiration. I think it shows a reasonable and progressive way of regulating the 2nd amendment, and it doesn't eliminate peoples' right to own firearms. Australia is notable because they enacted stricter gun laws after a mass shooting in the 90s, and they haven't had a mass shooting since; despite the fact that 1 out of every 7 Australians still owns a gun.

So, after some research, I still believe that American liberals and Democrats will not "take away all our guns." It appears that my friend was listening to a lot of noise and propaganda, and he didn't fully research the issue to see what is actually being said and done by progressive lawmakers and advocates. I hope we can all learn from information like this to 'cut through the noise' of the immense propaganda being thrown around.

AJ